38 die in Pithoragarh cloudburst,rescue works on

At least eight people were killed and 24 others trapped in debris after a cloud burst washed away eight houses in Pithoragarh.

Atleast 38 people are feared buried in a landslide resulting from a cloudburst in Nachni area near Munshiyari in Pithoragatrh district of Uttarakhand.

According to officials a cloudburst that was preceded by incessant rains led to a massive landslide at around 2.30 am. The rubble fell on a human settlement near La Tok between Munshiyari and Nachni and buried several houses. Unofficial sources are putting the toll at more than 50. More than a dozen bodies have been recovered from the site so far.

District administration officials rushed to the site immediately after the incident to carry our relief and rescue operations with the help of the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

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Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has also left for the spot by a helicopter to take stock of the relief and rescue operations.

He had sent cabinet minister Bishen Singh Chauphal early in the morning to supervise the operations. The Chief Minister has ordered officials to provide best possible medical assistance to the survivors.

This region is highly prone to land slide and falls on the Mansarovar Yatra route. It is close to Malpa where a similar landslide had resulted in the death of more than 80 people in 1998. Amongst those dead were noted danseuse Protima Bedi.

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cloudburst